Having a healthy life means dedicating a lot of time and attention to what you eat and your everyday activities. Whilst the former requires extensive research, the latter requires proper form. Exercising doesn't just involve doing enough reps, it also involves doing those reps properly. This is where having additional equipment, even if you're working out at home, can help immensely. Weight benches or weight lifting benches are some of the most popular pieces of equipment that help ensure proper form.

They are also quite versatile and help you in more ways than just correcting your form. Weight benches can be used for achieving different types of goals be it muscle building, fat burning, getting lean, or increasing your strength levels. But not all weight lifting benches are made the same which is why you have to look for certain features that are found in a quality weight lifting bench.

The first thing to look out for in a weight bench is its frame. This is where you will put your back against when lifting weights which is why the frame should match your shoulders. A proper workout bench should have a frame that will just about match the width of your shoulders. It shouldn't be wider or narrower as this will impede your form.

Since you're laying back onto the bench it's important that it's comfortable enough to work out on it. With all that weight pushing on your back into the frame, you need thick padding. Without enough padding, your back will hurt even more and it won't be because of sore muscles. The padding on the frame should be anywhere between 5 and 7 cm thick so that you can focus on what matters which is lifting those weights.

There are weight benches that come with foot rollers. These are positioned near the seat and make the bench more versatile since with foot rollers you are able to do ab exercises and increase your core strength. You can also do bodyweight leg curls but if you want to do pressing exercises having foot rollers can make it impossible. Unless they are removable.

The weight capacity of a workout bench, just like the frame, needs to match your proportions or in this case your weight. Benches made for home use are going to have a lower weight capacity than commercial ones. But your own weight isn't the only thing to keep in mind, you should consider the weight of your weights too.

A weight bench, no matter how compliant is with your back and weight it can be wobbly. Well, that is if it's not made of quality parts such as the locking mechanism and back support. A wobbly bench is never a good thing as it will also hinder your form and performance even if it still manages to stay in one piece.

If you want a solid platform and one where you can do a variety of both dumbbell and barbell exercises, flat benches are a great option. You can also use flat workout benches for bodyweight exercises such as bench dips, seated leg raises, split squads and so on. Flat weight lifting benches are compact and easy to move while being somewhat versatile and quite affordable too.

A step up from flat benches are adjustable weight benches. These have an adjustable frame that you can set at any angle. Usually, the increments of adjustment come in 10 to 15 °. Also known as FID or flat, incline, decline benches, adjustable benches offer greater flexibility than flat ones. They are also suitable for both at home and commercial applications. But adjustable benches are not that easy to move and not as strong or as stable as flat benches.

If you want to be able to perform heavy barbell exercises especially bench press, an Olympic weight lifting bench is the best solution. Olympic benches are made to support standard 2.2-metre Olympic barbells.

They come with J-hooks or upright pins that help support the weight between each set. This makes an Olympic bench extremely strong and durable while being easy to use. While this does increase its price and make for a big and heavy bench it ensures that you will rely on it for quite a long time.

With specialty benches, you get to focus on one specific movement. Although they are not versatile and take up a lot of space, speciality benches can be made to fit exactly your needs. They come in many variations such as a vertical bench, adjustable sit up (crunch) bench, captain's chair, or a preacher (Scott) curl bench. Each of these focuses on a specific muscle group and allows you to get the most out of it for years to come. If versatility isn't something you yearn for, then specialty benches are worth considering.